In a bid to address Structural and Transformation issues that Cameroonian SMEs are often confronted with, the Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts is organizing its 6th edition of the National SME Days from the 06th to the 08th of December 2021 at the Best Western Hotel in Douala. The National SME Days aims to address the issue of the structural transformation of Cameroon’s economy by presenting issues on the development of the import-substitution strategy and the promotion of economic patriotism in order to strengthen the important role played by SMEs in achieving the objectives of progressive industrialization of Cameroon’s economy.
As efforts to strategize on the effective import substitution mechanisms for the progressive industrialization of SMEs, this year’s edition is celebrated under the theme, Contribution of SMEs to import-substitution: How to increase the availability and improve the quality of the offer of local products made in Cameroon? Issues and challenges. As such, this initiative is expected to bring to the lime light the major constraints in the implementation of the import-substitution process as well as the formulation of proposals for a strong contribution of SMEs in this process; relevant solutions to provide SMEs with significant productive capacities; the establishment of a legal framework to promote the import-substitution strategy in Cameroon; the provision of SMEs with necessary technical and financial resources enabling them to upgrade significantly so as to support quality manufacturing transformation; create awareness of the priority sectors identified in SND 30 and the related efficient value chains; the evaluation of government’s industrialization strategies just to name but a few.
Worthy to underline that the National SME Days will entail thematic workshops, B2B meetings, exhibition for SMEs to showcase their know-how and fruitful exchanges with the goal of understanding the constraints involved in the implementation of the import-substitution process and a way forward in favor of SMEs. The event is expected to bring together experts and participants from different works of life such as sectoral administrations; Decentralized Territorial Collectivities; professional associations of SMEs and employers’ associations; promoters of SMEs and start-ups; SME support structures; SME incubation structures; NGOs and social economy organizations; national and multinational companies; national champions; technical and financial partners; research institutes; academicians and the civil society.